Missile, Air-to-Air, AIM 120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile)

Cylindrical, long, with ogival nose or radome; radome/warhead cone, flat white with gray tip; nosecone, 18.5 inches; guidance section below wrahead, flat gray, 17.5 inches long; yellow and black decal around periphery below warhead, reading "Caution - Use Protective Cover Over Radome"; section below guidance section, unpainted gray, 18.75 inches long, followed by smaller gray section, 9.5 inches long, dark gray, with words, "Not For Flight," in red, and with tan tag, see Mark(s); this section followed below by lighter gray motor section, 74.75 inches, with black band near top of motor, followed by blue band, signifying this is a practice round, and another blue band near bottom of missile; control section at bottom, below motor, 14.75 inches; fins come separate, two sets of four each; rear fins, long, partly triangular with straight edge on top; these fins with red and white decal and numbers; front fins, these fins also with decal and numbers; aluminum, triangular; missile with lugs for attaching missile to pylon; holes around dark gray section for fixing on front fins.

This is the AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range, Air-to-Air Missile), also designated AIM-12A. It is used by the U.S. Navy, Air Force as well as allied forces. AMRAAM has a 30- to 40-mile range and reaches Mach 4.

The missile has an all-weather, beyond-visual-range capability and is a follow-on to the AIM-7 Sparrow missile. It is faster, yet smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The pilot is able to aim and fire several AMRAAMs simultaneously at multiple targets and the plane can undergo evasive maneuvers as the missiles guide themselves to their targets. The missile is used on F14D, F/A-18, F-15, F-16, F-4, and Britain's Tornado and Sea Harrier aircraft. This object was donated to the Smithsonian in 2003 by the U.S. Air Force.